Boiling Point: Griddler KO’s George Foreman Grill

Wednesday

Aug 27, 2008 at 12:01 AMAug 27, 2008 at 6:58 PM

I was about ready to fall for a George Foreman grill, but the array of models (15), styles and lack of functionality confused me. Then I chanced upon Cuisinart’s new Griddler. For almost the same price, it leaves the Foreman in the grease.

Jim Hillibish

I was about ready to fall for a George Foreman grill, but the array of models (15), styles and lack of functionality confused me.

Then I chanced upon Cuisinart’s new Griddler. For almost the same price, it leaves the Foreman in the grease.

The Griddler is a stainless-steel, double griddle that fits on a countertop. It cooks a lot more stuff than a Foreman and is easier to clean. It is better designed, and the construction is usual Cuisinart top quality.

More versatile

It’s a true cooking machine, not just a sandwich and burger cooker.

Why not stay with the griddle that came with our stove? Well, the heat is uneven, and it takes two burners and a lot of start-up time. The Cuisinart with its clamshell heated cover is faster. It frees up the stove burners for other experiments.

Griddler features an expandable (floating) cover hinge similar to the Foreman’s to evenly cover thick steaks and chops. To ensure consistent cooking, items should be about the same thickness in contact-cooking mode.

Its 1,500 watts sears meat evenly. And then comes the surprise. The clamshell opens to fold flat, doubling the cooking surface area. Bacon cooks on one side and eggs on the other.

As with any contact grill, be careful not to squeeze the lid against the food. Lower it gently. Otherwise, Griddler is foolproof.

I avoid appliances with few uses. The Griddler is a multi-use machine. It’s a contact grill, a panini press, an open grill and a flat griddle, all in one.

Easy to clean

The plates and grease cup go into the dishwasher.

It comes with four nonstick metal plates, two for a smooth griddle and two for a ribbed grill (making nice grill marks on meats). With both sets, the fat rolls into a cup on the corner. Make sure the machine is on a flat surface, and it works well.

Three lighted dials on the front adjust the temperature (from 200 to 425 degrees) and govern the functions. The control is exact. So far, I’ve mostly used the sear setting. I go lower on marinated vegetables and eggs.

I found Griddler cooking times are faster than advertised. Medium burgers and grilled sandwiches (panini) finish in less than six minutes with nice browning on both sides. Inch-thick steaks take about nine minutes, pancakes about three. I can cook 12 pancakes at once or four crepes.

The Griddler retails for $180, but few pay that. Amazon.com sells them for $106. It comes with an unusually generous three-year warranty.

Its closest competitor is the Foreman Next Generation Grilleration at $115. This needs a $10 accessory plate, not included, to do flat griddling on one side.

The Griddler at 13-by-11-by-6.5 inches is compact enough to take on trips or to college dorms. With its stainless and metal cladding, it’s one tough appliance.

Mine is the GR4. There’s the GR3 with a single heat control for $74 on Amazon and the GR1, a smaller sandwich press, for $48.